


Descended

by GoofyZach, LokoteiBex



Series: Descended Trilogy [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Disney - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Gen, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25373542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoofyZach/pseuds/GoofyZach, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokoteiBex/pseuds/LokoteiBex
Summary: A rewrite of the movie 'Descendants.'Fifteen years after a war between the heroes and villains of the Disney universe, the Kingdoms have lived united in peace while the villains and their families have lived in exile on the Isle of the Lost. But when a group of Isle denizens are offered the chance to leave their prison and start a new life, Maleficent's daughter and her three cohorts comes up with a plan to grab the power their parents failed to achieve years before.
Series: Descended Trilogy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852093
Comments: 7
Kudos: 5





	1. The Isle Issue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of the movie Descendants. My girlfriend and I watched the movie together and we thought about how it would have been in a universe closer to the animated Disney canon. This tale is what the two of us have come up with together.  
> All Descendants characters have been renamed and rewritten to varying degrees. All existing Disney characters are based on their original animated selves.

Once Upon a Time… You hear that so many times it should really be ‘one out of many times.’ You’ve heard so many stories, after all. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Peter Pan, all the classics. But what happens when those stories all become one story?

That was what happened sixteen years ago. The Dark Fairy Maleficent wasn’t content to just let the prince and princess live happily ever after. So she did what she did best and cast a curse. The biggest curse she had ever concocted… In fact the biggest curse the worlds had ever seen.

Yes, worlds. Multiple. Every story you’ve heard is actually a reality all it’s own. Or was, before the afore-mentioned curse smashed them all together. Suddenly fairies were living in the same universe as genies, science and magic were face to face, and worst of all there was now a whole army of villains out for revenge. So began ‘the War.’

Maleficent had gathered up the best of the worst as her generals. Sorcerers and wicked queens and hideous monstrosities, all united with a single goal: to wipe out the heroes. But the heroes did what they do best. They rose up to save the day.

Yes, the War was won in about a year. Kingdoms came together in a united front, their forces defending against the Villains’ attacks. Until, finally, Maleficent herself fell in battle. Prince Adam, the famous ‘Beast Prince’, had been the one to put a sword through her heart. Afterward, he went right home in time for his son’s third birthday party. How sweet.

Well, of course, the Villains didn’t stand much of a chance after that. They were outnumbered, their magic and tech outclassed by the powers of the fairies and their wands, and in the end they were handed defeat. Yet again.

The War had ended, but the curse remained. The worlds stayed combined into one. And, though defeated, the remaining villains were still a threat. So the strongest of the kingdoms and their leaders made two major decisions.

Decision one: To band together permanently. They became known as the United Kingdoms, the princes, princesses, kings and queens all forming the first Royal Council. This council, from that day on, has been in charge of the world for the most part, and all major decisions go through them.

Speaking of. Decision two: To banish the villains. Now, no kingdom felt especially inclined to take these powerful enemies and stick them in their own dungeons, but they didn’t feel safe letting them all go off to some corner of the world to regroup and plan their revenge, either. So the Blue Fairy, de facto leader of the Fairies, proposed a solution. The Isle of the Lost.

Neverland it wasn’t. The Isle had once been Maleficent’s own stronghold, the isolated landmass where she had moved her forces. Difficult to get to, thanks to the jagged reefs tailor-made to chew ships apart, and the sheer, jagged cliffs on all sides. Ironically, what made the Isle so hard to get to also made it hard to escape. In fact, without magic, it was impossible. Probably why the Blue Fairy and her flittering band all pitched in to enchant it with an anti-magic field surrounding the whole thing.

And so the Isle of the Lost became the Isle of No-Way-Out for the villains. And not just the villains. For their cronies, their seconds in command… even their families. Even their children. Like me.

Ah, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Our story doesn’t quite begin here… Not yet. You just needed a little bit of a primer on how things work before we went to where it starts for real.

The Kingdom of Auradon. Fifteen years after the end of the War, after the villains were all locked away. With their enemies tucked neatly out of sight and out of mind, the United Kingdoms were quick to rebuild and make a nice cushy life for themselves. The Council, needing a place for their official meetings, chose Auradon. A bit of a reward to Prince Adam and Princess Belle for all their bravery in the War.

A nice way of saying ‘you get special treatment for killing the dragon lady.’

Like I said, it was here in Auradon that meetings would always take place, whenever the Council had some big decision to make. But the biggest was yet to come, when the Blue Fairy asked the Council to gather, a month before the nineteenth birthday of Adam and Belle’s son. This is important to our story, since it’s with this Prince that we can really get into it…

_ _ _

  
  


Prince Luc was in the courtyard the day of the meeting. He stood, fencing foil held before his face as he stared down the second figure before him, his weapon held similarly at the ready. Both figures stood wordlessly, dressed in white, padded jackets and gloves, faces hidden behind mesh masks. It wasn’t until someone gave the order of, “Begin!” that they both sprang forward. 

Prince Luc lunged for his opponent, the tip of his foil aimed right for the other’s chest. But the other masked fencer twisted his body to the right and let the blade pass harmlessly by. He lifted his own weapon and brought it down against Luc’s before going in for a stab of his own.

Luc stumbled back, narrowly missing the end of the sword. And just as narrowly avoiding losing his footing. 

“Steady!” His instructor called from her vantage point across the way. “Remember, you must be as balanced as your blade.”

What was that even supposed to mean? Luc growled in frustration behind his mask and made for another attack. He thrust, his opponent once again easily batting his sword aside. But Luc was prepared for it this time and he feinted to the right to try and take the other off guard.

But in a moment, when the other had ducked under his wide sweep and jabbed the point of his foil into Luc’s midsection, he realized he hadn’t succeeded. Luc looked down at the bent practice blade, heaving an exasperated sigh. “Every time…”

He tossed his foil to the ground and stepped back, pulling the mask from his face. He ran a hand back through his dark brown hair and frowned at the victor. “Chaz how do you always do that?”

The other boy shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, you’re just predictable.” Chaz removed his mask as well and shook out his feathery, strawberry blond hair, flashing Luc a smile.

Luc rolled his eyes. “Can you predict what I’m calling you in my head?”

“No,” Chaz responded with the smile still on his face, “because that’s not prediction, it's mind-reading.”

Luc wanted to groan at the other’s teasing. But he had to give a snort of laughter instead. “Okay, stop showing me up already. Bad enough you’re a better fencer, I can’t have you be better at words, too.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Chaz offered. “You’re still the bigger nerd.”

The boys both laughed, and Luc gave his friend a gentle shove. He never could stay mad at Chaz. But their laughter died quickly when they heard the approaching footsteps of their instructor. 

“Well, that was… really something.” 

Luc looked at her, sheepishly scratching at his cheek. A nervous habit he’d inherited from his father. “You can say it, Sir. It was terrible.”

General Fa Mulan breathed a sigh and shook her head gently. Luc almost wished she had shouted instead. The General, known for her fierce fighting in the War, was somehow the most terrifyingly calm person he had ever met. No wonder she had been given command over the United Guardsmen.

It wasn’t that he feared her. Nobody feared Fa Mulan unless they were on the opposite side of a battlefield. Worse, he hated to disappoint her. And he had been doing just that ever since she had been put in charge of his training five years ago. “I tried to tell you to stay balanced,” the General told him gently.

“I did,” Luc objected. “I didn’t lose my footing, Chaz just—”

“Prince Charles saw a sloppy defense,” General Mulan cut in, “and he made his move. Whereas you tried to make a move and hoped it could slip past his defense. You didn't think two steps ahead, you were trying to go back and undo your last move.”

Luc’s gaze fell to the ground. “Understood, Sir.”

He heard Mulan sigh and knew she didn’t buy that. “You’ll get it,” she told him gently. He felt her pat his shoulder reassuringly. “Keep practicing. Tomorrow. For now, the Royals will be arriving soon. You boys better get cleaned up and ready for that meeting.” Mulan smiled at Chaz. “Excited to see your parents?”

“Insanely.” Chaz beamed back at her. “Can’t believe it’s been a month since I saw them last.”

A month without seeing your parents? That was nothing to Luc. Outside of official royal functions, Luc hadn’t really seen his father in six months at least. And they certainly hadn’t spoken. At least Chaz had the excuse of being a whole kingdom away, training to be a Guardsman.

“Come on.” Luc nodded his head towards the castle. “Let’s go get changed.” He turned to bow respectfully towards the General, as did Chaz. “Guess we’ll see you there, Sir?”

Mulan smiled, bowing in turn. “Guess you will, boys. Just try not to get _too_ bored.”

Chaz laughed. “No way. We’ve waited fifteen years to see a Council meeting!”

Well, perhaps Chaz had. It hadn’t ever been very high on Luc’s list of priorities. But this was the first meeting since he and Chaz had turned eighteen. They were both finally old enough to take their places beside their parents in the Council Room. Ironic, he thought, considering how many of the original Council members had been younger when they formed the alliance in the first place. Queen Snow White had been barely fifteen at their first meeting.

The boys left the courtyard, walking back towards the castle proper. Chaz clapped his friend on the shoulder with a cheerful, “See you there!” before he broke off to return to his rooms in the Guardsman barracks. Luc gave a less than enthusiastic response to that. He would, indeed, see him there. But he took his time changing, and then took his time wandering from his room to the royal ballroom.

Normally, the enormous chamber was reserved for parties. Like any good ballroom. With it’s enormous floor for dancing, the gigantic chandelier, the ridiculously tall glass windows, it made a beautiful venue for a royal dance. But on those few days, when the royals of the other Kingdoms came to Auradon, the place changed completely.

Huge, heavy curtains covered up the windows now to keep out prying eyes. In the middle of the dance floor now sat an enormous table, a wooden ring over which had been draped the finest red velvet. This round table with the empty center had been the brainchild of the Wizard Merlin, who still accompanied the gangly young king named Arthur. 

At the table sat every royal in the United Kingdoms. Queen Anna and Lord Kristoff of Arendelle, Queen Rapunzel and the Prince Consort Eugene… Oh yes, and of course there was the Crown Prince Charmont and his wife, Princess Ella. They stopped going by their nicknames Charming and Cinderella years ago. Luc saw them at their spot at the table, but the pair had leaped from their seats when they had seen Chaz enter the room. Chaz met his parents with hugs and smiles and laughter, and Luc could guess as he saw them looking at his fancy blue and gold uniform that they were asking him how training was going, how he liked staying in Auradon. And judging by the huge, doofy grin on his face, no doubt Chaz was all too happy to relate his adventures as a Guardsman in training.

Luc looked about the room as he entered. No sign of his own parents yet, of course… This was their castle, after all. They had to make a nice entrance. But he saw most everyone else. Queen Snow White and King Florian, Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana, Sultana Jasmine, even the great lion Simba, King of the Wild Lands, had a seat at the table. Not so much a chair so much as a gigantic cushion on the floor.

In fact, the only pair he hadn’t spotted, aside from his parents, were King Phillip and Queen Aurora. But he knew they wouldn’t be long when he heard a familiar voice in the hall. “Luc!”

He cringed, turning to see the young girl that bounced on her heels excitedly, smiling brightly at him. She wore a forest-green dress, her light brown hair falling in curls down her back. She ran at him, throwing her arms around his waist. “Luc! I missed you, sweetie!”

Luc heaved a breath—after halting the growl that threatened to come out—and counted to ten. _She’s just a kid… Be nice, she’s just a kid…_ “Hi, Faye…” he said at last, forcing a smile. “What are you doing here?”

Princess Faye looked up at him with a bright, proud smile. “Mama and Papa said I could come! I tried to get them to let me sit in on the meeting but they said I’m too young still. Can you imagine?”

Luc blinked at her. “Well you are eleven…”

“That’s what I said! But they said I have to be eighteen.” She groaned. “Mama was helping fight a whole war when she was sixteen. So unfair.”

“Right, right…” Of course, Luc’s heart wasn’t in the discussion. He looked up and saw, to his relief, Faye’s parents were coming to the ballroom arm-in-arm.

Queen Aurora, in her golden crown and her shining blue gown, nodded her head to Luc and offered an apologetic smile when she saw her daughter clinging to him. “Faye, sweetie?” she said, “I think the meeting is about to start. Can you wait for us outside, please?”

Faye frowned, but nodded her head obediently. “Alright, alright…” She was sure to give Luc one final squeeze before finally letting him go. “I’ll see you later, Luc!”

_Not if I can help it,_ Luc thought to himself as the girl strolled out of the ballroom.

Aurora laughed lightly. “Don’t be too hard on her, Luc… She’ll get over this crush eventually.” With that, she and Phillip moved to take their seats. 

Luc certainly hoped so. But it had been a year already. The prince rolled his brown eyes as he decided to take a seat as well. He found his chair there, next to the empty chairs waiting for his parents. As expected, Adam and Belle were the last to arrive, walking in hand-in-hand with an accompaniment of guardsmen. They were the best guardsmen in Auradon, ten men and women, hand-picked by the General herself. Mulan marched at the rear of them as they accompanied the prince and princess in, dressed in the military dress of her homeland. Though this, of course, had been given the blue and gold color scheme of the Guardsmen. Mulan had her guardsmen take their places, positioned all around the room with crossbows and swords resting but ready. She flashed Prince Luc a smile before taking her own place directly in front of the now-closed doors.

Prince Adam and Princess Belle approached the table. He standing tall and proud, she smiling bright as the sun at their guests. The beast-turned man led his wife to their vacant seats and was sure to pull her chair out for her to sit. He barely gave Luc a second glance, even when he stood right there beside him.

Belle, on the other hand, turned to her son as he sat beside her. Adam on her other side. “Nervous?” she whispered.

Luc shook his head. Belle patted his hand. And Adam spoke up.

“Welcome,” he said, his voice soft but loud and clear as it echoed through the ballroom. The acoustics in here were as good as ever. “As always, my friends, we are happy to see you all.”

“We remain forever honored,” Belle chimed in, her own voice just as clear as her husband’s, “that we can host the Council here in our home. For fifteen years we have been united, our one wish and desire to give the people of our kingdoms the best life possible. May we leave this meeting with bonds as strong as the day we began our union!”

Everyone at the table applauded. Why wouldn’t they? Belle had always been an excellent public speaker… at least for as long as Luc could remember. “I used to be pretty shy,” she had once admitted to him. “But being a Princess does change things.”

Luc clapped his hands, in spite of his wandering thoughts. When the applause died away, it was Adam’s turn to speak next. “We’ve come together today at the request of one of our closest allies. Lady Evangeline, the Blue Fairy.”

On queue—and really, Luc had never known a fairy not to have perfect timing when it came to dramatic entrances—a shimmering blue light began to sparkle down from the candle-lit chandeliers. The room seemed to fill with the glittery light, and the unmistakable tingle of magic. And there, in the area in the center of the round table, a figure came into shape from the blue light around her. Her whole form seemed to shine, from her azure silken dress to her great, glowing wings. Lady Evangeline, the Blue Fairy and Mistress of the Wishing Star itself, smiled at the royals surrounding her.

A second form seemed to be materializing as well, Luc noticed once the first, initial glow was beginning to fade. Her entrance wasn’t quite so spectacular as the Blue Fairy’s. Neither was her appearance, in truth. The girl, young, dressed plainly in purple with equally plain brown hair, stood close to the taller fairy, looking as if she wished to hide behind her. She had wings as well, but she kept these tucked close to her body.

“Thank you for your presence,” the Blue Fairy spoke up. She was gentle, quiet, and yet her voice was impossible to miss by anyone in the room. “I know it is no small thing to request you all to journey from your homes like this. But if you will hear me, I have something to say which is of the greatest importance.”

“Please,” a voice spoke up, “speak your mind, Lady.” All eyes turned to the young Queen Snow White. She sat with her husband at her side, the sweetest smile on her face. “We wouldn’t be here if not for all you and the fairies did for us during the war. Or even afterward. There is no one we trust more.”

The Blue Fairy bowed her head to Queen Snow White. “I’m eternally grateful for your confidence. But what I have to say may seem… controversial.”

“How bad could it be?” Emperor Kuzco leaned back in his chair, seeming more interested in filing his nails than the meeting. “I mean what was the last _really_ tough thing we had to talk about? Whether or not we should include the Southern Isles because _someone_ had a messy breakup?”

Queen Anna, dignified as she was, responded only by sticking out her tongue at the young Emperor.

The Blue Fairy shook her head. “Far more serious, I’m afraid… I’ve come to discuss the Isle of the Lost… I believe it may be time to lift the banishment.”

Well, that certainly did it. The room fell deathly silent. Even Kuzco stopped and sat up straight in his chair, staring slack-jawed at the fairy.

“Lift the banishment…?” Prince Luc was surprised when his own voice had been the first to break the silence. “You mean… let the Villains go free?”

At last the other royals began to make sound. Gasps, whispers. None seemed ready to openly argue with Lady Evangeline… but it was more than obvious none were at all inclined to agree with her.

“We cannot allow them all to go free,” the Fairy admitted. “Those who remain who began the war… I fear they have earned their imprisonment on the Isle. Perhaps for the rest of their lives. But there are those who had not chosen war. Those whose only crime was the misfortune of being born to lives of evil. Evil does not have to be their future.”

“You mean… the children?” Sir Robin of Nottingham spoke up. “We never wished to send children to imprisonment on the Isle but—”

“But we couldn’t take them from their families, either,” Lady Marian finished for her husband.

“They’re not children now,” the Blue Fairy continued. “At least, not so young that we cannot offer them a choice. A chance. Council members, what I propose to you is this: That we begin to bring these young people from the Isle and let them have the freedom they’ve been denied for too long.”

Another murmur rose from around the table. But Adam stood then, the scratch of his chair against the floor as it pushed back silencing all others. “You said it yourself,” he said with a deep frown, “they’re not children anymore. Many of them are grown now—and all of them have had fifteen years to learn to hate and resent us. Now you want to bring these villain kids into our homes and let them be free to do who knows what?”

Luc looked around the table. He could see it written on their faces that many of the royals seemed to agree. But just as many looked unsure.

“They are young,” the Blue Fairy insisted. “If they are angry after years on the Isle, they have a reason to be. They have lived a difficult life. But this could be their chance to choose a better path. And perhaps by their example their elders might even have some hope of learning… Perhaps this could be a second chance for all.”

“Why do we owe them a second chance?” Adam growled. As in a literal, actual growl which echoed nastily in the ballroom. Everyone in the room cringed at the sound.

Everyone except for Belle. She never faltered. Only looked up at her husband and said, “I gave you a second chance…”

And that stopped the Beast Prince in his tracks. He glanced down at her, the frown melting from his face. Luc couldn’t remember the last time he had seen his father look so defeated. Adam breathed a calming sigh, sitting once more as he stared contemplatively at his hands. “I won’t risk my people’s safety,” he muttered at last.

“Neither will I,” King Phillip chimed in. “We all fought too hard in the War, we lost too much… And now after all these years, building this world into a home for our peoples. Can we really risk that?”

Luc looked to the Blue Fairy. Her younger associate seemed more drawn-in on herself than ever, but Evangeline stood ever tall. “I propose we begin small. Only a small handful, to begin with. We can bring them from the Isle, we can offer them friendship and education… offer them a home.” She turned, smiling at Queen Snow White. “We can offer them _family._ ”

Snow White’s ever-present smile was gone. The young woman’s gaze fell, and she wrung her hands anxiously. “You… you mean Evonne.”

Luc blinked as he watched the queen. Evonne? He hadn’t ever heard that name in his history lessons about the Villains. He leaned over, whispering to Belle, “who?”

Belle shushed her son gently, but whispered back, “Queen Grimhilde’s daughter…”

No wonder Snow White looked so upset. And usually she was the most cheerful and optimistic of the Council. She stood, carefully, looking at the Blue Fairy. “You want to bring Evonne from the Isle?”

The Blue Fairy nodded her head. “Yes. Accompanied by three of her closest friends. This way she won’t be alone in a strange place, and the four of them can be our first attempt at healing these old wounds. I thought… I hoped, your Majesty, given the circumstances, you might open your home…”

Snow White shook her head quickly, and Florian’s hand was on her’s in an instant, holding it in support. “No, I—I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I can’t… Not yet…”

The Blue Fairy nodded her head gently. “I understand…” She turned slowly, sapphire eyes scanning the faces of the royals. “But if any of you could find it in your hearts to open your homes to this girl, to these children…”

She didn’t seem to find any takers. Not until she turned and saw Belle standing up. She raised her head high, smiling as she said, “we will be happy to welcome them to Auradon.”

Luc and his father both stood at the same time, gaping at Belle from either side. “Mom, no,” Luc said, “seriously bad idea.” His voice overlapped with Adam’s as he also objected, “You can’t seriously want these kids in our kingdom, think of what their parents did!”

Even if Belle could have untangled their objections from one another, she wasn’t about to accept them. She turned, silencing Luc with a look, and then looked to Adam. “Why not? Ours is the ideal place! The Guardsmen headquarters is here, even if the children prove at all dangerous. We can do this. I believe Blue Fairy’s plan is a good one.”

Adam grumbled to himself, scratching anxiously at his cheek a moment. Luc watched his father, silently urging him to put his foot down now. But he knew his mother was right, even though he didn’t like it. And he knew his father knew that, too.

“One month,” Adam relented at last. “We’ll let them stay one month. After that, if they aren’t ready to reenter society…”

Belle nodded her head before addressing the Council. “Are we in agreement?”

The other royals seemed to need a moment. Couples muttered quietly together, fingers tapped against chins in thought. Luc could see from the frowns they wore that Phillip and Aurora, whatever they whispered to each other, weren’t happy. Snow White, as she sat silently in her chair, looked least happy of all.

But, at last, the Council took a vote. And by a narrow margin it was decided that a house would be prepared in Auradon, to be watched over by Guardsmen at all times, and a letter sent to the Isle giving Evonne three days to gather no more than three friends and prepare for the trip.

“We leave here united,” was the Council’s traditional parting as the parties involved rose from their seats, filing slowly from the ballroom. Luc turned, hoping to speak to his parents about the situation. They had to be crazy to go along with this, right? But, of course, they had already wandered away on their own to discuss things. 

Luc scoffed and rose to move towards Chaz. The other Prince stood speaking with his parents and General Mulan. All fell silent as Luc approached. 

“Your parents finding some place soundproof to chat?” Chaz tried to smile as he teased Luc, but couldn’t quite manage it. 

Luc scowled, crossing his arms. “This is insane,” he growled. “You can’t bring these people off the Isle and expect them to just want to be good, peaceful citizens, can you?”

"I don’t know,” Mulan admitted. “But I do know it’s my duty to protect the United Kingdoms… Your mother was right. We can keep an eye on things here. We can make sure everyone is safe.”

Luc turned, glancing back at the empty chairs where his parents had just been. “Then that’s exactly what we’re going to do, General. If my parents aren’t going to look out for our home… I will.”

With that oh-so-serious declaration, the Prince turned and stormed away to brood in his room. Because what else would a grumpy prince like him do? Meanwhile, everything was set into motion. The house was acquired, guardsmen hand-picked for the task of watching over the kingdom’s soon to be ‘guests’ and a letter composed to send to the Isle of the Lost.

That’s where our story began. And now comes the part where _we_ come in…


	2. Rotten to the Core

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the Isle of the Lost, Maleficent's daughter Mallory learns of the plan to bring villain kids to Auradon, and she begins to set a plan of her own into motion...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rewrite of the movie Descendants. My girlfriend and I watched the movie together and we thought about how it would have been in a universe closer to the animated Disney canon. This tale is what the two of us have come up with together.  
> All Descendants characters have been renamed and rewritten to varying degrees. All existing Disney characters are based on their original animated selves.

I’ll never forget the first time I ever saw the Isle. If Mother had ever intended it to be a glorious stronghold, it had certainly fallen far from her vision. The Kingdom forces had already conquered the island weeks before, tearing out any weapons or defenses, leaving nothing but hollow shells of buildings including the tiny, gutted castle in the middle of the island. This was, by all counts, my property by birthright.

Being all of nine years old, however, and deprived of any magic powers, I found myself unable to keep the castle from being claimed by someone else.

So, after having been dragged from Mother’s castle and dumped on the island, I took my next-best option. I found an empty archer’s tower, I kicked out the pirate that had crawled in to drink himself to death and made it my home for the next fifteen years.

The Isle didn’t change much over the years. Those hollowed out buildings had been converted as best they could to shelters at first. Then to houses. Some eventually became shops. With roofs and doors and dividing walls of scrap wood and old canvas and salvaged fabrics recycled from shipwrecks near the cliffs. The greenish stone walls were sometimes painted, whether it was the choice of the occupant or the doing of one of the many, many vandals on the island.

Actually people gave up trying to paint their own walls about two years in and let the vandals have the work.

I woke up that morning as I had every morning for fifteen years. I rose from my nest of old, musty blankets and cushions and stretched my aching limbs before I got up and moved to my mirror. It was a pretty nice one, all things considered. Only two cracks. I combed out my raven-black hair with my fingers and looked at the dark circles under my yellow eyes. They didn’t look as bad as they had when I was a teenager, thankfully. I wondered, for a moment, if my horns were still growing or if I was just imagining it.

With a shrug, I splashed some stale water on my face and went to put on my clothes. That day I had decided on my red leggings, purple shirt and my favorite black jacket. The one I had pulled out of a fire. It had the most comforting smell of smoke to it…

When I stepped out of my crumbling old tower that morning I found a dingey grey sky above a depressing ‘city.’ People milling about here and there on the mud streets, shop owners standing outside to attract customers to buy their wares. Stolen goods, less-than fresh foods, what have you. Just another day in paradise.

Well. Almost. It was normal to hear tongues wagging on the Isle. It got so boring most days, between petty crimes and just scraping by to survive the easiest way to kill time was with gossip. I’d never bothered paying much attention most days. But you already know this wouldn’t turn out to be ‘most days.’

“A letter from Auradon,” the old Coachman muttered to the fish merchant. “An official, royal letter. Signed by a prince an’ everything.”

That caught my attention. See, the Isle got plenty of messages from the mainland. But these messages were limited to proclamations, the occasional news snippet—I suppose the royals thought they were doing us some grand favor keeping us up to date on the world we were banned from—or the rare letter from outside family. 

What we never got were letters from the royalty. I paused, casually drawing closer to the pair as they spoke. No easy task, given the reek of day-old fish.

“Who was it addressed to, then? Not like we have bloody mailboxes here.”

“It was sent to, and I quote, ‘Miss Evonne, daughter of Grimhilde.’”

“Our own little Evil Princess? What do they want with her? Don’t suppose our prayers have been answered and they’re planning to guillotine her and her hag mother?”

“Well, I happen to have it right here,” the old man bragged. “I was the one down at the bridge when it was delivered. Said I was the postmaster, I did.”

I tried not to snicker at the man’s bold-faced lie. As if we ever had a postmaster.

“Do you plan to deliver it, ‘Mister Postmaster’?”

“Maybe. We’ll see how much the old witch wants to pay for it. Or maybe I’ll read it and see if there’s any juicy, useful info…”

“Or…” I spoke up at last, and saw both men jump in surprise. The Coachman was quick to hide the letter behind his back, but I still caught sight of the flash of gold lettering on the envelope.

“Or…” I said, “you could give it to  _ me _ . I can pay a way better price for it than old Grimhilde could.”

The Coachman stared up at me. At six feet tall, I towered over the fat old man, and between my gray-green skin and horns, nobody on the Isle could mistake just whose bloodline I had come from. 

“Wha—what price?” The Coachman swallowed the lump in his throat, but there was a greedy, hopeful look in his piggish eyes.

I smiled. “Your life, of course.”

The old coward found my offer too good to refuse. In seconds, the letter was in my hands, and he was running for the closest hole to hide in. I, on the other hand, strolled in the opposite direction. Didn’t want the fish stench to distract me as I opened the letter and read what it said, after all.

It took only a few seconds to read, and then re-read the message printed there in fancy cursive. Mother had made sure I learned to read before she busied herself with war, after all. For once, I thanked the old witch in whatever burning circle she was in, and I smiled as I read the message a third time.

The Council had decided, for whatever reason, to bring Evonne to Auradon. And she was allowed to bring three others. For the first time in fifteen years, someone was going to get off of this island!

The news was too good to keep to myself. So I rushed to the only person I could share it with. I found him in his hovel, tending to his father.

Jafar had once been the most powerful sorcerer in the world. One of Mother’s own right-hand men. Now? Now he looked positively  _ old _ . And he had already looked old when he had been brought to the Isle.

Jael, his son, had spent eleven years without a father. Just another orphan street rat in the slums of Agrabah. But he had made the mistake of tracking down the father that hadn’t wanted him, just before his father had found himself banished. And so the twelve year old had gotten what he wanted: his father.

He had been stuck taking care of the old man ever since.

I found Jael trying to give his father a warmer cloak to wear. “Where did you get this?” Jafar grumbled.

“I found it,” Jael told him. Neither I or Jafar bought that.

“Stealing again.” Jafar spat. “Like a common street rat! We’re better than that, boy! What do I always tell you! You win by making others lose, you outwit your enemies. Use your brain for a change, you thuggish twit!”

Jael met the abuse, as always, with a patient nod and wrapped his bony old father up in the cloak, regardless of his complaints. “Right, Baba. I’ll do better next time.” Jael had been saying that every day for fifteen years. And every time, old Jafar grunted in reply, took the food or clothing Jael had stolen for him, and hobbled back to his bed.

I waited for the old snake to be gone before I made my presence known. Jael, as usual, greeted me with the customary, “Buzz off.” I replied with the usual, “Shut up, stupid,” and we proceeded to have a nice visit. We sat, and I took out the letter.

“Remind me why this is good news, Mal?” Jael rolled his eyes after I had read the letter to him.

Well. You can understand my frustration. Here I had jogged halfway across the isle to his little hovel, and delivered the best possible news in the world, and this was his response? I looked at Jael, as he lounged on his nice new cushion. Most likely stolen, I was sure. He looked perfectly comfortable there, in his loose-fitting red pants and shirt, his long dark hair falling over his shoulders. Like a sultan in a palace. And not a common thief in the crumbling remains of a storage closet.

I shoved him, hard, and Jael tumbled off to the filthy floor with a startled cry. If he hadn’t been the closest thing I had to a friend, I would have punched him, outright. “First of all,” I hissed, “what did I say about calling me ‘Mal’? Hmm?”

Jael sat up. He was older than me, physically stronger, but like everyone else on the island he only had to take one look at me to know not to start a fight. “Sorry…” he grumbled.

“Sorry, what?”

“Sorry,  _ Mallory _ .”

“Better.” I offered him a hand to help him up to his feet. He took it and brushed off his clothes. I knew by his silence that he had forgiven me already. We did that a lot, made each other angry then silently forgave each other.

“I still don’t get what’s important about this letter,” Jael insisted. 

“It’s important,” I told him as I held the envelope up to see, “because it’s our ticket out of here.”

“It’s the little evil princess’ ticket off.”

“And three of her friends.” I smiled. “But the little princess  _ has _ no friends.”

“Riiiight…” I looked at Jael, at the creases in his forehead, and I could see he just wasn’t getting it. “What good does this do anyone? She’s a spoiled brat with a ticket out and no friends to share it with.”

I heaved a sigh, grasping Jael by the collar to pull his face in closer. “Don’t you feel bad for that poor little brat,” I asked, “having no friends that she can take with her off this gods-forsaken island? Don’t you want to go make friends with her right now?  _ And get. Off. This. Island? _ ”

At last, I could see the pieces click into place in Jael’s mind. A smile slowly crossed his thin face. “Oh… Yeah, right… Poor little evil princess. She really does need a couple of friends.”

I grinned back. “And what better friends could she find on this island but us…?”

Evonne wasn’t hard to find. She and her mother loved to flaunt their meaningless titles, to act as if they owned the island and everything on it. Old Grimhilde, in fact, was the one to snatch up Mother’s old castle the first chance she got. If I had thought I had any desire at all to try and keep up the old place I might have taken it back, but as it stood I was content to let the old hag keep it and play pretend. 

Evonne, for her part, seemed to prefer not to spend her days alone in the old fortress with her mother. One could hardly blame her, with the former queen there, stuck in a hideous old disguise and constantly bemoaning the loss of her throne, her looks, her power, nobody would want to stay at home. The ‘princess’ preferred to be out and about, going to the nicer shops on the Isle. We found her easily, as I said, simply by heading to the only thing in the community that could pass as a dress shop.

‘Hell Hall’ was hardly a hall. It was one of the nicer, larger homes on the island, sure, but that was like saying a rotten apple was better than a poisoned apple. But being one of the nicer houses, on the big-ish side, it was a good location for a shop. Old lady DeVil had snatched it up years before and begun selling what she called ‘fashionable clothes.’ For the most part, she just sold rags made up to look slightly more new than the rags everyone else wore. And she was sure to charge way too much for it all.

I frowned at the wares as Jael and I stepped inside. Fur coats stitched together from rat pelts, dresses made of sailcloth, pirate boots cut in some attempt to look fashionable. I had to wonder what easy mark DeVil could convince to find any of this stuff attractive.

And then we saw a sixteen year old girl in a dark blue, hand-me-down dress. Evonne, admiring a dark blue skirt stained with black ink. No doubt it was meant to be a fancy pattern of some sort. I choked back my annoyance and moved closer, flashing the girl my nicest smile. “Hi. Evonne, right?”

She looked up at me, only for a moment, before turning her reddish-brown eyes back to the skirt. “Jasper, did you ever get in that order I asked for last month?”

The man behind the counter grunted a response, never taking his eyes from the tawdry novel in his hands.

“Honestly,” Evonne muttered, “Mother is right. Good help is impossible to find.” She sighed dramatically, flipping her ebony black hair over her shoulder.

I looked from the girl to the man behind the counter, then back again. She had moved on to a hat, trimmed with pigeon feathers. “Excuse me,” I said, “but if you had a moment to talk…?”

“I don’t,” Evonne replied bluntly. “I happen to be very busy.”

“Busy shopping?” Jael asked.

“Yes. Which is more important than talking to the common folk, thank you very much.”

If I could, I might well have set fire to that shop. Instead, I forced myself to keep smiling. “Oh… Well, if that’s how you feel..” I turned, walking slowly towards the exit. “We’ll just be on our way…”

I could hear Jael sputtering behind me as I walked. Step. By. Step. It took me seconds to get halfway to the door. Jael was at my side in an instant. “Mallory, what are you doing?” he hissed.

“She doesn’t want to talk to us,” I replied, loud enough for the girl to hear. “So I guess we can’t deliver this royal letter…”

For emphasis, I took the envelope from my jacket and held it high in the air. I knew, without looking back, the golden lettering and unusually clean white paper were bound to grab attention. Including Evonne’s.

“Wait!” I heard her call, and I turned back at last. She had already closed the distance between us and begun to reach for the letter. Being a whole foot taller than her, I had no problem holding it just out of reach. “You said that’s a royal letter! That means it belongs to me!”

I grinned. “I said it was royal, as in it  _ came _ from royalty. But as it just so happens, it  _ is _ addressed to you…”

Evonne glared up at me. “Then I command you to hand it over this instant!”

“Oh, of course,” I said, my voice dripping with fake respect. “But I just thought, well, you don’t want to wait till you get home to open this, I bet. But you certainly don’t want to open it here, where just anyone can be snooping…”

I shot a glance over at Jasper. He was, in fact, peering at us over his book. But he hid his face again quickly. 

Evonne let out an aggravated huff. “Fine, then where are we supposed to go?”

I smiled, sure I had her right where I wanted her, and led the girl to the alley behind the shop. Away at last from prying eyes, I finally let Evonne snatch the letter from my hand. She tore the envelope open without stopping to notice it had already been opened and she eagerly read what was printed there. And then she re-read it, her face lighting up with a smile. “They want me to come to Auradon,” she gasped. “They want to take me off the island!” She let out the most annoying little squeal, and Jael and I both winced at the sound as she hopped about and laughed.

“I think she’s taking the news well,” Jael muttered.

“Of course she is,” I replied. “She gets to leave the Isle! And take her closest friends with her. Imagine that!” At last, I saw Evonne stop, rereading a line of the letter. The part about bringing friends, no doubt.

“You do know who you’ll bring, don’t you?” I asked gently.

Evonne stared at the letter a moment. Or maybe beyond it. At last she shook her head. “I… Who says I even want to bring anyone? Why should I share this? Mother always says, never share what you’ve earned for yourself!”

“Wise words,” I admitted. I actually meant it, too. “But I mean… it does seem such a waste, right? And being all alone in the outside world…?” I clucked my tongue and shook my head.

“I sure wouldn’t want to do it,” Jael added. I had to admit, I loved how easily he could pick up on ploys when it really counted. It was why I hadn’t come to hate Jael like I hated… well, everyone else. “I mean can you imagine? Being the daughter of the evil queen and then going to live alone in  _ Auradon _ ?”

Evonne scowled at him. “Don’t call Mother that.”

“Everyone in Auradon will,” Jael countered. “What do you think they’ll call you?”

Evonne’s large, cinnamon eyes fell to the ground, her brows knitting together. She knew what they would call her. Because it’s what they already called her on the Isle. “Evie the Evil Princess.” I could see in her fair little face that she was thinking exactly this. I almost saw tears beginning to form.

“You don’t want to go alone,” I said quickly, gently. I wrapped an arm around Evonne’s shoulders and gave her a little comforting squeeze. “What you need is a couple of friends… Someone who can look out for you. Someone who could watch your back…”

Evonne sniffled once, then she looked up at me with narrow eyes. “Just tell me what you’re after here,” she said. “You don’t have to pretend to care about me. I want to know the scheme.”

“Scheme?” Jael laughed. “To get off this damn island, that’s the scheme!”

“No.” Evonne shook her head. “I know what  _ you _ want. You’ll be content to get out of your hovel and find a place with nicer things to steal. I want to know  _ your _ scheme.”

She pulled away from me, her eyes meeting mine. “You’re Maleficent’s daughter. We’re  _ all _ here because of her schemes. Don’t try to tell me you’re not after something bigger here.”

I couldn't help but smile. “What if I am?”

Evonne smiled back at last. “Then I want in.”

I looked at her, my hands on my hips. I had expected to deal with a spoiled little girl. But apparently I had underestimated her. “What do you have to offer?”

Evonne held up the letter. “Other than the only keys to leaving the Isle? I have my title.”

“You think that means anything in Auradon?”

“It must mean something if they specifically requested me.”

A fair enough point… I glanced over at Jael and found him looking from her to me, confused. “Are you negotiating with this kid?” he asked.

“No,” I replied, “I’m coming to an understanding.” I turned to Evonne again. “The letter says they’ll pick you up in three days, by the bridge. We’ll meet you there before the pickup time. You take us to Auradon and I’ll tell you everything when we get there.”

Evonne’s smile brightened. She looked like she might begin hopping again, but thankfully she reigned herself in. “Fine. You have a deal. ‘Friend.’”

“Wonderful. ‘Friend.’ We’ll see you in three days.” Evonne nodded her head and turned to go. But she paused. “Something wrong?” I called over.

She shook her head. “Just… wondering how Mother will handle it when I leave…?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “If you want my advice, kid? Don’t mention it. A note will work just as well.”

Evonne hesitated another moment, but soon nodded her head. With that, she zipped out of the alley and away from our sight. I let out a breath and turned to leave as well. Jael was at my side, and when I glanced aside I could see his forehead creased again. “Look,” I said, “it will be easier to let the brat think she’s part of the team. If we need to we can ditch her anytime.”

“I know,” Jael muttered. “She just got me thinking, that’s all. Wondering what Baba is gonna do when I’m gone.”

I rolled my eyes. “Who cares? You’ve taken care of the old goat for fifteen years, it’s time you take care of yourself.” 

“Easy for you to say,” he muttered. “Must be nice only having yourself to look out for.”

“It is,” I assured him icily. “You’ll see once we get off this island. Now I’m going home to get ready for the trip.”

I picked up my pace, walking ahead of Jael down the street. I didn’t have much to pack… Hardly anything at all, in fact. But there would be plenty more to occupy my time for the next three days.

“Mallory.” I looked back when Jael called out. “So what  _ is _ the scheme, then…?”

I grinned back. “Let’s just say it’s your skill at thievery that’s earned you a place in it.” 

And that was all I said before leaving him behind. Yes, I had plenty of planning to do these next three days…


	3. To Auradon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mallory, Jael and Evonne, along with an extra companion, make the journey to Auradon and meet Prince Luc. There are no good first impressions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rewrite of the movie Descendants. My girlfriend and I watched the movie together and we thought about how it would have been in a universe closer to the animated Disney canon. This tale is what the two of us have come up with together.  
> All Descendants characters have been renamed and rewritten to varying degrees. All existing Disney characters are based on their original animated selves. See end notes for important information on a newly introduced character.

The three days came and went. I made my way to the bridge good and early, to wait for Jael and Evonne. 

Now, when I call it ‘the bridge’ it should be noted I don’t mean a real bridge at all. Here on the Isle, when anyone refers to the bridge what they really mean is the broken remnants of what had once been a bridge. The impossibly long structure, reinforced by Mother’s magic, stretched for miles between the island and the mainland. It served as the only way on or off the island, and Mother had thought it impervious to attack.

Once she was dead, however, her magic was quickly destroyed. With the spell keeping it up broken, the whole thing collapsed under its own weight. The Isle was, from that point on, completely cut off from the rest of the world. Save, of course, for those rare moments when someone from the outside world had to come to the Isle.

It happened often at first. Someone who had gone into hiding was eventually found and brought back. Some supplies would be delivered. As we established, the occasional bit of mail would come. But over the years these instances became fewer and fewer.

I set down the small bag I had brought, filled with only a few bits of clothing, and took a seat on a bit of rubble to wait. I smoothed out the plain gray cloak I wore and turned to watch for my soon to be traveling companions. Jael was the first to show up, wandering over with an old sack flung over his shoulder.

“Buzz off,” I called.

“Shut up, stupid,” he returned.

I grinned and made room for him on the rubble. “So how did the old man take the news you were leaving?”

Jael sat beside me, dropping his bag to the ground with a shrug. “You know my father. He never takes any news well. But I’m here.”

I nodded my head. “Good. I’m gonna need you when I get to Auradon.”

“Feel like telling me why yet?”

“Nope!” 

Jael rolled his eyes but said no more, resting his arms across his legs. His gaze seemed strangely distant. I looked away, glad I hadn’t been there to see whatever display of anger and indignation his father had shown.

“So how exactly is this going to work?” I looked at him again when he spoke. He looked back with an arched brow. “So us getting to Auradon—I get that part. But what about when we get there? I mean, it’s not like you’re going to exactly… blend in.” He pointed at my horns for emphasis. “You think Prince Beast is gonna see those and not send you right back? Or worse?”

My hand rose to one of my horns out of reflex. It wasn’t that I felt ashamed of my appearance. Why would I? Who cared about looks? But I knew Jael was right. Bringing the Evil Queen’s daughter out of banishment was one thing, but  _ Maleficent’s _ daughter?

“I’ve already thought of that,” I said, my tone snippish. To demonstrate, I lifted the hood of my cloak up and over my head.

Jael looked me up and down a moment, unimpressed. His gaze seemed to focus most at the hood, which I knew rose comically high on my head. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Do I ever?”

“No. You don’t have a sense of humor. But you have to know that this,” he motioned at my cloak, “isn’t going to fool anyone! Not for more than a minute!”

“A minute is all I need,” I told him. “Just trust me.”

Trust. That was a mighty tall order for folks like us. But Jael didn’t say anything after that. He just shrugged his shoulders and returned to staring at nothing in particular. 

We sat like that in silence for a few more minutes before we finally saw Evonne. She came towards us, dragging a large, heavy bag behind her. Clothes, no doubt. Evonne heaved when she finally reached our rubble-bench. “Is there room for me to sit down a minute?” she asked.

Without hesitation, Jael and I replied as one: “No.”

Evonne glared daggers at us before sitting on her own bag with her arms folded across her chest. “I  _ am _ the one getting you two off this island, you know. You could show a little respect.”

“Sorry, your shortness,” Jael snickered, “not everyone got the same etiquette training as you.”

Evonne offered Jael a very un-princess-like gesture in response. I had to snicker. “Do you think you packed enough clothes?” I asked her sarcastically.

“I hope so,” Evonne replied, head held high as she ignored my sarcasm. “But once I’m in Auradon I can buy more.”

“You and me both, darling.” 

The new voice gave us all pause. We turned to the road nearby and saw a girl approach. She was young, shorter than even Evonne, with a thin, freckled face and a scrawny build under a sleeveless fur coat. It looked as if it must have been white at one point, but time had yellowed it. Her head was topped with curly black and white hair, and she flashed us all a wide grin.

“Well, luvs,” the girl declared, “when are they bringing the car around?”

Jael tilted his head. “The what?”

“The car, darling!” The girl rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of a car! You’re what? Forty? You never saw one before you came here?”

Jael frowned. “I’m twenty-seven and no, I never saw a ‘car.’”

“Oh. How sad.” The girl shrugged her bony shoulders. I wasn’t sure if she meant his age was sad or the fact he had never seen a car. The girl flared the bottom of her oversized coat out around her as she lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the ground, and she folded her hands under her chin as she looked at us all. “Well? When is it coming? The car, the boat, whatever it is we’re waiting for?”

I arched a brow at her. “Who says we’re waiting for anything?”

The girl’s pink lips curled in amusement. “Well, dear, it doesn’t take a genius to put it together. You’re all sitting here, packed and ready to go, waiting by the bridge… Of course, I already know you lot are going to Auradon.”

I frowned, rising to my feet to approach the girl. “Quiet,” I hissed, “I don’t know what you think you know, but—”

The girl lifted a hand to my face. “Darling, don’t insult me. You were all in Mummy’s shop three days ago, waving that royal letter around. You’re lucky Jasper didn’t follow you back to the alley like I did.”

I grit my teeth at her. But in truth, I felt more angry at myself than this girl. How had I missed her eavesdropping? “Alright. Fine. You know we’re going to Auradon. What of it? Jael’s father knows, Evonne’s mother knows.” I glanced at them both, hoping for backup. But both glanced away, troubled looks on their faces.

Ugh, useless. 

I poked a finger at the girl. “Now, since we have established that no one cares, you can go right back to Hell Hall and leave us alone.”

The girl smirked at me. “Not likely, luv… You see, the problem is, I happen to have a very big mouth. Mummy always says so. ‘You and that big mouth of yours, never shutting up,’ she always says. And she’s right. I do tend to gab.”

“So gab,” I told her. “Go ahead, tell  _ everyone _ on the Isle. Let them rot with envy for all I care.”

“Now whoever said I was going to say anything to anyone from the Isle?” The girl arched a thin brow and nodded behind me, towards the bridge.

I looked back over my shoulder in time to see a glow approaching from the distant mainland. A golden bridge of magical energy, stretching from the remnants of the old, broken bridge on the other side of the water. 

It was a neat trick, in all honesty. Another little gift from the fairies. A magical, retractable bridge, to replace the old one. In a moment, the magic bridge connected with the Isle, and I knew our ride would be here soon.

I looked at the girl again, and her plan became clear. “Sure would be a shame if someone let the gents coming for you know something was amiss…” she mused. “Something along the lines of this ‘scheme’ of yours. They might just decide to turn right around and leave you.”

“This punk is blackmailing us!” Jael sounded equal parts impressed and outraged. 

I felt exactly the same. With a dark scowl I grabbed her by the collar of that musty old coat, lifting her with ease from the ground. “Didn’t your ‘mummy’ ever teach you not to blackmail someone unless you were sure they wouldn’t throw you off a cliff?”

For the first time her confident smirk faded. “Now hold on, I’m no blackmailer! I’m just threatening to expose you if I don’t get what I want.”

“That is the literal definition of blackmail,” Evonne pointed out. 

The girl blinked once. “Oh. Well, color me embarrassed…”

“I’d rather color you dead right now,” I hissed. 

“Wait, wait!” The girl held up her hands. “Please, I just want off this island! Same as any of you!” She nodded towards Evonne. “She’s allowed three friends, right?”

I narrowed my eyes. “And just how did you know that?”

She laughed nervously. “I might have read over her shoulder.”

“Of course.”

“Listen, luv, you’re the one who stole her letter in the first place. Glass houses and all that?”

“Still wanting to throw you.”

“No!” She waved her hands frantically. “Look, just let me go with you and once we’re there I’ll be off. Please, please, I just need off this island…”

I glared at her, scanning her face for the usual signs of deception. One learned to read faces when one grew up among liars and cheats. But the girl’s frown looked so sincere, so genuinely desperate. And why wouldn’t she be? Weren’t we all desperate for escape?

“Mallory…?” I turned when Jael called out and saw him staring at the bridge. When I followed his gaze there, I saw a carriage drawing near, accompanied by four mounted Guardsmen. Each carried a heavy crossbow.

There was no time now. If we denied this girl passage now she might blurt something out to the Guardsmen. If I dealt with her in any way, I would be seen and my ticket off the Isle would be revoked for sure.

With a frustrated groan I dropped her to the ground. “Keep quiet,” I ordered. “Don’t make me change my mind.”

The girl looked up, the grin slowly creeping back to her face. She mimed zipping her lips together and gave a nod.

Fine. I rolled my eyes and turned to the bridge, making sure the hood was still over my head as the carriage pulled forward. We saw it and the riders pass through the magical barrier with a silvery shimmer in the air, and in another moment they had traded magical bridge for solid ground.

When the carriage and horses came to a stop in front of us, a man in a posh blue and gold uniform stepped down and looked to us all, an unmistakable curl in his lip to show his distaste. But he managed to get over his disgust long enough to speak. “We’ve come to speak with a Miss Evonne…?”

“That’s me!” Evonne hopped over with a giggle, her hand raised high. “I’m Evonne.  _ Princess _ Evonne. It is lovely to meet you.”

The man looked her up and down, the curl never faltering. “Right…  _ Miss _ Evonne, as you are aware, their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Auradon have graciously invited you to visit our kingdom, on the advisement of the Blue Fairy. You are allowed to bring no more than three friends.” He glanced briefly at each of us in turn. “I suppose these… individuals are your guests?”

“Yes.” Evonne bowed her head politely. “My very… very best friends.” She gave a sweeping hand motion, gesturing to us each in turn. “This is Jael, Mallory, and… And, um…” 

“Satine,” the girl offered quickly. “Satine De Vil.”

“Satine, yes!” Evonne laughed nervously. “I knew that.”

The man rolled his eyes, simultaneously rolling up his scroll. “Lovely. Right, well, gather your things and we’ll be off as soon as you’re ready.” He stepped back towards the carriage, opening the large door for us.

Well, he didn’t have to tell us twice. The girl—Satine—was the first to leap inside. She had no baggage to drag in, unlike Evonne. Jael, impatiently waiting to follow her in, helped shove the large bag up and into the vehicle.

I followed, but was careful to keep my face turned from any of the Guardsmen. Luckily, none of them seemed too eager to look at me, either. They all seemed almost as eager to get off the Isle as the rest of us.

Once I had climbed inside and taken my seat the door was closed. I heard the man outside climb back into his seat and give the order, and we were off towards the bridge. With a sigh of relief I turned to watch out the window.

“Look at this place,” I heard Satine coo. “This bloody carriage is bigger than my mother’s bedroom!”

“It’s bigger than my whole house,” Jael breathed. “Whoa, is this food?”

I looked over. Indeed, there had been gift baskets left for us. How thoughtful. They contained treats like fresh fruit, candies, sweet cakes and sandwiches. Jael dug right in, shoving a fistful of grapes right into his mouth. He let out a muffled sound of astonishment. “They’re so sweet!”

“Forgot what fresh food tastes like?” I asked. We were lucky on the Isle to find anything edible, let alone fresh. Fruit was almost unheard of, outside of anything that could be preserved. I almost feared for the sensory overload if any of us tried  _ sugar _ . I reached over for one of the sandwiches before the others could empty the baskets and turned my attention back to the window. Waiting.

The moment I waited for was so brief, so subtle, I almost missed it when I heard a struggle break out in the carriage. Apparently Evonne had wanted one of those fancy little cakes, but Jael was trying to hog them to himself. Satine was choking on the first chocolate she had ever eaten. But in spite of this chaos, I soon saw that same silvery shimmer outside that I had seen before. The exact moment when we crossed the barrier.

That barrier, as I told you, was the work of the fairies. Not so much a wall meant to keep anyone in or out—the reefs and the cliffs managed that just fine—but a dome over the island which rendered all magic within inert. For fifteen years I had lived inside this dome, but now, for the first time since I was nine, I could feel something tingling in my veins. Something warm and familiar and  _ alive _ . With my companions distracted, I glanced down at my hand, flexing my fingers ever so slightly. I saw, to my delight, a tiny little green flame spark to life above my palm. 

I closed my fist to extinguish that flame, feeling a smile cross my face. I had magic again. And I knew exactly what I would do with it first…

_ _ _

Prince Luc hadn’t rested for three days. The minute the Council meeting had adjourned, preparations had to be made for the kingdom’s ‘guests.’

First and foremost: We needed a house to stay in. And no, Belle had told Adam, it wasn’t going to be just any old house in Auradon. It had to be nice. They had to really treat their guests from the Isle as… Well, as  _ guests _ . They used to have candlesticks that sang songs about that, right?

So, they found a house. A nice, two-story guest house, not that far from the castle. Not that far from the Guardsmen barracks, either. Luc, no doubt, had supported that detail. 

He had spent the past three days unusually invested in the goings-on of the castle. I say unusually because for all his almost 19 years as a Prince, Luc had shown about as much care and talent for the royal life as he had for fencing. He preferred to sit alone in the library with a good book, or to wander the open countryside surrounding the kingdom. But after the meeting, when it became apparent his home would be hosting these ‘villain kids,’ Luc began to sit up and take notice.

The guest house, as mentioned, was seated within walking distance of the castle, nestled cozily on the side of the mountain where Adam and Belle’s castle stood. The Guardsmen barracks, where the United Guardsmen lived and trained, were built right beside the castle. Down the mountain path (now blissfully free of creepy dead trees and packs of roving wolves) took you right down to the village which had begun to blossom in the past decade or so. 

When Belle had insisted on giving us a nice place to stay, Adam was quick to offer the guest house. It was, perhaps, far nicer than any house in the village, but Luc saw through his father’s reasoning. He wanted the villain kids close, where they could be watched. For once, Luc agreed with his father. So had General Fa Mulan, who had insisted on posting a guard at the house. For the guests’ safety as much as anyone else’s.

The day of our arrival, Luc stood waiting with this guard to greet the newcomers. Well, in his case, it would be less of a greeting and more like sizing up the possible threats. Along with the prince, the general and the Guardsmen chosen for the task were Cogsworth the royal butler and a fairy known as Dabble.

Yes, you remember her? The mousey little thing that accompanied the Blue Fairy to the meeting? This was Dabble. I call her a fairy, but really she was more of a fairy in training. A tinker talent, fresh out of Pixie Hollow, working her way up to one day be a real fairy godmother. But that day, if it was ever to come, was quite far off. The fresh faced girl, no more than fifteen years old by human standards, could barely manage magic beyond fixing a broken dish. And yet there she was, standing beside Prince Luc. 

The fairy girl fidgeted nervously with her wand, no doubt wondering for the tenth time why Blue had chosen her, out of all the fairies in training, to stay in Auradon and monitor this little experiment. Granted, all she really had to do was keep an eye on things, report back to the fairies and make sure everything went smoothly… Still, Dabble had to take in deep, steady breaths to keep from shaking as she stood surrounded by unfamiliar humans in an unfamiliar land, waiting for even more unfamiliar people.

Luc noticed the girl’s anxiety—how could he not, the way she was heaving?—and he leaned over to whisper, “Are you alright? Do you need a moment, or…?”

Dabble shook her head quickly, like a hummingbird shaking off dew. Her shoulder-length brown hair even fluttered like wings. “N-no! I’m fine. Just nervous. This is the first assignment Lady Evangeline has ever given me…”

Luc shrugged. “I mean, it’s better than having to go animate toys or make flowers, right?”

Dabble shook her head again. “We really don’t do that. Pinocchio was a one-time thing. And garden talent fairies are the ones who grow flowers. Lady Evangeline used to be a garden talent, did you know that? That was a long time ago, back before fairies used to give magic gifts to humans.”

She carried on like that for a while, but Luc tuned it out. At least when she was rambling the fairy didn’t look so nervous. The Prince, meanwhile, went back to waiting. The carriage was due to arrive any minute now, and he and the others all stood in front of the guest house like a proper welcoming committee. 

They looked more like a group of armed guards and a handful of overly-cautious nobles, really. But why tell them that?

We arrived one minute late. Due, in no small part, thanks to Evonne constantly asking the driver to slow down and let us see the sights. She and Satine had spent much of the ride from the bridge to the village staring in awe out the windows. They had never seen so much green in their lives, not counting mold. It had been up to Jael and I to explain to Satine what trees and grass were. “Imagine a coat made of that,” she mused to herself.

The carriage finally pulled up in front of the guest house, the men dismounting with a salute to their general. Mulan ordered them to stand at ease, and all eyes turned to the carriage door as our curled-lipped friend moved to open it again. He was nearly knocked off his feet when Evonne burst from the carriage with a thrilled giggle, hopping down to admire the scene before her. “This is for us??”

Like I said, it was a pretty nice house. Two stories tall, only about a third the size of Mother’s castle on the Isle, but what it lacked in size compared to the castle it made up for in every other way. Solid walls, unbroken glass in every window, a thatched roof without even a single visible hole in it. Evonne clasped her hands together and stared in wonder at the sight. “My own castle,” she breathed.

“ _ Our _ own castle,” Jael corrected as he climbed out. He pulled at Evonne’s bag with some effort, but it seemed stuck. “And you’re handling your own luggage from here out, kid!”

Satine leaped over the bag and Jael’s head and landed gracefully on the gravel-paved path, stretching out her gangly limbs with a relieved sigh. “Goodness, that was a lovely trip. A bit cramped, but just lovely. Now then, if no one minds, I’d best be off.”

She turned, ready to stroll away down the path to the village, but she found her way blocked by Guardsmen. Luc stepped forward, frowning at her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Satine turned, smiling brightly at him. “Oh, well, you know… Thought I’d take some time to see the sights?”

“Maybe later,” Luc said. “For now, none of you is going to leave our sight.”

Sputtering anxiously, old Cogsworth stepped in between his prince and their guests. The portly man smiled nervously at the three. “Ah, yes, what the young Master means to say is welcome! Yes, welcome one and all to Auradon! The Prince and Princess do send their apologies for not being here to greet you just yet, but they are dying to meet you all.”

Jael rolled his eyes as he finally hefted the bag down from the carriage. “Right. I bet they are.” He turned to Cogsworth, a brow lifted hopefully. “Hey, are you like the bellboy or something? I kinda need a hand here with these bags.”

The older man sputtered again, insulted, but took a calming breath. “No,  _ sir _ , I am not the bellboy. My name is Cogsworth, head of the royal household of Auradon.”

“So was that a no on helping with this bag?”

Cogsworth heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. With a clap of his hands one of the guardsmen came and picked up the heavy bag.

“Now then,” Cogsworth continued, “is this everyone?”

“That’s everyone,” I answered back as I stepped down from the carriage. I kept the hood up over my head as I moved to stand with the others, looking out at the collection of guards. Soon, my gaze came to rest on the old butler, the fairy, and the so-called ‘young Master’.

He looked back at me, his brows knit together. I couldn’t help but think his features looked like something off an old, Greek statue. A grumpy one. The young man, for his part, looked me up and down distrustfully. “Isn’t it rude to stare?” I asked.

The young man blinked at me a moment, as if he hadn’t expected me to address him. I saw Cogsworth move to pat his shoulder, muttering, “Perhaps if you introduced yourself, Sir…?”

Luc heaved a sigh, his gaze flicking from the old man to me again. “My name is Prince Luc,” he said. “I’m here to see to it you settle into your house without issue in my parents’ absence.”

“Wow,” I said, “the Prince himself came to welcome us. What an honor.” It didn’t feel very welcoming, of course, but oh well.

“A prince!” Evonne gasped, her eyes wide as she looked at Luc. She rushed over, offering him the best curtsy she could manage. “It’s an honor to meet you. I am Evonne.  _ Princess _ Evonne.”

Luc chuckled, stepping back from Evonne. “Um… Great. I mean you’re not technically a princess, given your mother lost her title years ago…”

Evonne’s smile faded. I frowned. The Prince’s rudeness had started as a novelty, but now it was wearing thin. “Well, a lot of us lost a lot of things back then.”

He turned to me again, a brow arched. “Right… And what did you say your name was?”

“Mallory,” I answered. “Just Mallory. No titles for me. I’m the Princess’s guardian.” I moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder. I hoped to get a rise out of the prince by calling her a princess. 

He sneered at me. “Right… is there any particular reason you’re hiding your face, Mallory?”

I smiled. “Nope. Just wanted to keep the sun off my face.” I didn’t hesitate then to lift my hand and remove my hood. It fell away, leaving my thin, angular face and raven hair in plain view. My horns, however, were nicely hidden by the glamour which changed my skin from gray-green to a ‘normal’ shade of light chestnut. My eyes met his own, hazel rather than yellow.

He looked me over again for an instant, but this time he was sure to turn his gaze away before he could be accused of staring. I grinned, proud of myself. I had worried, briefly, about how effective my spell would be. After all, I had only been able to study magic over the past fifteen years, never practice it. But my hereditary talent shone through it seemed. 

“Well…” Prince Luc carried on, “you’re all welcome here in Auradon. My parents wanted me to tell you all to make yourselves at home here in our guest house. You’ll have everything you need as long as you’re staying here.” He paused, glancing pointedly at Satine. “And you  _ will _ be staying here for the time being.”

Satine folded her arms across her chest, clearly disappointed. Not as much as I was disappointed not to be rid of her yet.

“We have everything you need,” Luc continued. “We’ve got plenty of food, some clothes… Of course if anything isn’t to your liking we can have guards escort you into the village to pick up whatever you’d like. Tomorrow my parents have invited you all to the castle to meet you, but for tonight feel free to settle in and get used to the place.”

I offered the prince my most insincere smile. “Oh, sounds lovely. Will you be there too, Prince Lucky?”

He shot back a look that said he didn’t want to dignify my taunt with a response (even though that, in and of itself, was a response) and turned to Cogsworth and the fairy. “Come on, let’s let them settle in.”

Neither the butler nor the fairy seemed to have the backbone to argue with him. The older man offered a quick, nervous nod of his head before turning to follow the Prince back to his castle. Dabble just turned and followed without a second look, her eyes on her own feet.

I scoffed at their retreating forms. “Wow. I feel so welcome, guys, how about you?” Jael laughed in response. I saw Evonne scowl at the Prince and stick out her bottom lip. Satine merely tried to wander off again, but once more found herself halted.

The General, who I recognized quickly enough from her uniform, stepped up with an apologetic smile. “Don’t mind him,” she said. “He takes after his father… Neither of them is all that great with strangers.”

“Hm.” I smirked at the older woman. “Especially strangers from the Isle of the Lost?”

To her credit, Mulan met my smirk with a sincere smile. “The Isle is a tough place. I know you all know better than anyone the sort of people there.”

Evonne frowned. “Then why did you have us come here?”

“It was the Blue Fairy’s idea,” Mulan explained. “You were all kids when your parents took you to the Isle…”

“Some of us were born there,” Satine pointed out.

Mulan’s smile faded. “It’s way past time we gave you all the choice you didn’t have before. The choice to be free. To do good.” She turned to Evonne, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You kids are just the start. If all goes well, we might be able to help so many of those stuck on the Isle.”

Evonne tilted her head at Mulan. “So… why me, specifically?”

There was a moment where the General fell silent, her gaze flicking between us, her guardsmen, the ground… She looked like she was looking for the words as if they would be printed on a nice, convenient signpost. “Um… Well, the Blue Fairy mentioned your relation to some people here on the outside, and…”

Evonne’s gaze fell. She nodded slowly. “It’s because of  _ her _ . I understand.”

Mulan could only nod her head in turn. She tried to smile again, gently patting Evonne on the shoulder, before she turned to the house. “Come on, let me show you kids around.”

If the outside of the house had been impressive, the inside had downright taken our breath away. Even Jael and I, who could remember life before the Isle, had never been in a house this nice. No drafts, no cobwebs or pests, furniture that didn’t look like a few worm-eaten planks tied together… It was honestly more than any of us could have ever imagined.

Mulan guided us through the main hall, to the study, the dining hall, the kitchen, and finally upstairs to the bedrooms. There were four in all, as luck would have it. Four bedrooms, four walk-in closets, even four separate bathrooms. Evonne and I had quite the time explaining to Jael and Satine what  _ those _ were for.

At the end of the tour, we each chose our room. Evonne and Satine took the two largest, while Jael picked the one with the most expensive-looking nicknacks. I got the last pick, but felt perfectly satisfied with my plain little room, with its enormous fireplace and heavy curtains.

General Mulan left us then, but let us know there would be Guardsmen stationed nearby to take care of anything we might need. She didn’t mention the fact that they would also be watching us to ensure we didn’t leave the house unaccompanied, but that much was easy to guess. I thanked her, regardless, and she left at last. Alone, I called the others to the study.

“Well, I hadn’t expected to be stuck in one place,” Satine admitted as she lounged on a plush red sofa, “but I suppose there are worse places to be stuck. Like home, for instance.”

“It’s incredible here,” Evonne admitted, running her fingers along the spines of the books in the tall bookshelves lining the walls. “I never imagined anything so… so incredible!”

Jael muttered his agreement through full mouth. He had made sure to stop by the kitchens and bring an armful of snacks like bread and apples and even cheese. (Cheese! Without things growing on it!) He plopped next to Satine, nodding toward me. “Hey. Are you ready to tell us what our scheme is, Mallory?”

I sharply shushed him, stepping over to wrench away the half-eaten loaf of bread. I tossed it into the fireplace, just for the sake of it, and commanded a blaze to roar to life there as I went to make sure the curtains we closed. “I want to be sure no one is listening,” I told him.

“There’s nobody here but us, darling,” Satine offered.

“I thought there was no one in the alley, either,” I countered.

“Point taken.”

I finished with the curtains and moved to the door to double-check it was closed. It was, and so I felt safe enough to speak in low tones. “You.” I pointed at Satine. “I hoped we could let you run off on your own, but unfortunately it seems you’re stuck here for now. Can I trust you?”

She grinned. “Can  _ I _ trust  _ you _ ?”

I chuckled. “Let me rephrase that… Can I trust you to value your health enough not to get in my way?”

“Ahh…” Satine nodded her head. “I very much value my health, darling. Plus, I’m a little interested to hear this scheme now, anyway.”

“Me, too,” said Jael. “Which is why I’ve been asking you  _ all day _ . So out with it, Mallory. What are we doing here?”

I smiled, looking at the three of them. They weren’t much, I knew… In fact I wasn’t sure any one of them could handle what I was about to propose. But they were the best I could hope for.

And if all went well, I wouldn’t need them for long.

“Did you ever wonder,” I said, “where our parents’ belongings went? Their magical items, their weapons, any of it?”

Evonne shrugged her shoulders. “Mother always told me they took her mirror away but she didn’t know where.”

“It’s in a vault,” Jael chimed in before crunching into an apple. “Baba said everything magical and powerful captured in the war got locked away. He had a whole lab full of junk, but it was all confiscated.”

I nodded my head. “That’s right. Somewhere out there is a vault full of powerful artifacts. Including my mother’s staff. Imagine if someone could find that vault and everything inside. Imagine what they could do…?”

The others fell silent, trading uncertain looks before they turned to me again. Evonne was the first to speak up. “You’re planning to… what, start another war?”

I laughed. “No. I just want what’s mine. I don’t need the  _ world…  _ just my fair share. The share they denied me when they locked a nine year old girl away on an island all alone.”

Jael nodded his head slowly. I knew, of all of them, he was the one who understood best. “Yeah… they do owe us more than a fancy house, don’t they?”

I folded my arms. “Way more. They owe us for fifteen years imprisonment.”

“Fourteen,” Satine pointed out. “But you’re not wrong…”

Evonne shook her head. “What if we get caught? If they send us back to the Isle, that’s it. No second chances.”

“This is our  _ only _ chance,” I countered. “You heard Beast Junior before: These people will never recognize you or give you the respect you were born for. You’ll never be a princess here, Evonne. But when we find the vault…”

I watched her, her brows knitting together as her gazed flicked back and forth. In a moment, a grin began to cross her face. “With all that power I could be a  _ queen… _ ”

Jael smiled. “Baba always tells me to think bigger. Be better than a common thief. I’d say this counts…”

I looked to Satine then. She leaned back against the sofa cushions, tapping her chin in thoughts. “Well, I don’t know… I didn’t really sign up for all this, did I? I just wanted off that island, to fend for myself.”

“You didn’t sign up at all,” I pointed out, “but much as I don’t like it you’re part of this now. You know I can’t have you getting in the way.”

She looked at me with a confident smirk. “But if I play along I’ll be owed a fair share of the pie once this is over. I suppose I’ve come this far on a gamble, why not go all in?”

“Then we’re agreed?” I looked at them each in turn. Evonne. Jael. Satine. Each one looked back with a smile and a nod. “Perfect. Then everybody grab a book. We need to find out where our vault is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note on Satine De Vil:
> 
> The late Cameron Boyce, taken far too soon last year, portrayed the character Carlos De Vil in Disney's Descendants series. Carlos is a character Bex and I genuinely enjoy and we would never want to disrespect Cameron's work. To that end you may notice that while many of our characters bear some resemblance to their movie counterparts, Satine is as different a character as possible from Carlos. This was a deliberate choice on our part, to avoid disrespecting Cameron's memory by attempting and failing to emulate what he did in the films. Fans of Cameron Boyce and the character of Carlos De Vil, we hope you understand our reasoning in this and can find some enjoyment in our creation.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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